The Castaways of the Fol Espoir

A filmcrew in the early twentieth century the cabaret known as Le Fol Espoir has been transformed into an amateur soundstage The motion picture tells the story of a ship and its passengers from the famous opera singer down to the petty criminal The film is an optimistic political fable intended to educate the masses Theres comedy aplenty slapstick punches custard pies and gags reminiscent of Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle theres adventure high drama moments of great bravura and passionate love stories The filming begins on June 28th 1914 the day of the Archiduke Franz Ferdinands assassination in Sarajevo the gunpowder that sets Europe alight It ends with news of another assassination that of Jean Jaures on July 31st followed by the general conscription of August 1st heralded by church bells across France The allegory of the shipwreck is filmed at breakneck pace during the last five weeks before war breaks out